Andy Roddick's serve, Juan Martin Del Potro's forehand, and more: Which tennis players join Nadal, Federer, and Djokovic in Patrick Mouratoglou's list of best players of the 2000s
It is no surprise that Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Roger Federer have made it to most lists of the 'best male tennis players since the turn of the century', owing to their dominance on the men's tour. However, there are certain categories where some other great players during this time are better than the Big 3, according to top tennis coach Patrick Mouratoglou.
The Frenchman, who is Serena Williams' former coach and current coach of Simona Halep, revealed his picks for the best tennis players of the 2000s. Mouratoglou made those picks based on specific aspects of the game, such as the best forehand, best backhand, and best volley, to name a few.
Mouratoglou believes that Juan Martin Del Potro possesses the best forehand on the men's tour.
Despite it all, the del Potro forehand remains a thing of beauty. twitter.com/ArgentinaOpen/…
He made two separate picks when it came to the backhand, giving Marat Safin the title of the best two-handed backhand and Wawrinka the best one-handed backhand he has seen. Based on Mouratoglou's assessment, Wawrinka has the edge in that category over Federer, who also has a one-handed backhand.
When asked about the player possessing the best serve, the French coach was quick to name former World No. 1 Andy Roddick. Roddick's serve was considered one of the toughest to tame by many of his competitors on tour during the 2000s.
Nothing like an Andy Roddick serve under the lights in Atlanta http://t.co/1VKDpu4y3j
Meanwhile, Mouratoglou named former World No. 3 Nikolay Davydenko as the 'biggest overachiever' in men's tennis. Davydenko was a four-time Australian Open quarterfinalist and a two-time semifinalist at both the French Open and US Open. He lost to Federer in all but one of his four Grand Slam semifinal appearances.
Rafael Nadal's fighting abilities to Roger Federer's volley: Where Patrick Mouratoglou named the Big 3 in his list of best male players of the 2000s
In the same video, Patrick Mouratoglou further opined that Roger Federer has the most effective backhand slice he has seen in the men's game in the last 22 years. Mouratoglou also feels that the Swiss legend's volley remains unmatched on tour.
Additionally, he believes Rafael Nadal is the greatest fighter on tour and the best lefty player of the 2000s. Nadal is often termed as the all-time strongest player in terms of mental strength by not just experts, but also his fellow players.
Meanwhile, Mouratoglou named Novak Djokovic as his choice for the best returner of serve he has seen. The Serbian superstar's athletic prowess and ability to read his opponent's serve have been important to his success over the years.
shots in total............
That famous rally from 2013:
5️⃣4️⃣ shots in total............🙀
#USOpen #Djokovic #Nadal https://t.co/KSXNPgdrNH
Nadal, Djokovic, and Federer lead the all-time Grand Slam men's singles title race with 22, 21, and 20 titles respectively. Behind them in fourth place is Pete Sampras with 14 Grand Slam singles titles.
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